I was at a friends house the other night having a drink (or a few as we’re known to do in my neighborhood) and she mentioned how much she liked the blog and what we’re doing here. I love hearing that, but I also love hearing honest feedback and what problems people face when cooking at home and following recipes. So, I asked a few questions about what her biggest problem was when trying to put a healthy dinner on the table. She got right to the point ( I love that) and said her two biggest problems were basic sauces and knife skills. Knife skills might be tough to teach through text, but sauces… I can do that!

So, in honor of Kate, I am going to include some staple vegan sauces over the next few weeks. These sauces can be used as is or can be used as a base to create variations of them to suit the dish or your taste. This easy 5 ingredient tomato basil sauce is a perfect example of a staple sauce that is amazingly delicious as is- tossed with some pasta or as a base to add ingredients to. I’ll be including a vegan vodka sauce in the next week that starts with this tomato basil sauce. The Chinese Garlic Sauce recipe from yesterday is another great example of a versatile staple sauce that can be adjusted to make a number of different dishes….

Chinese garlic sauce- take-out style. Versatile stir-fry sauce that can be used with almost any vegetable. The sauce is comprised of soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, chili, black bean sauce, and vegetable stock.

I have this Chinese restaurant right next to work. It is my favorite take-out place and I eat there a lot… I mean I’d love to say I bring lunch to work every day, but sometimes life gets a little crazy and I don’t have anything prepared. …

This is one of my favorite dishes to have for breakfast (or really anytime). It’s super easy, healthy, and is also good heated up as leftovers. I wouldn’t skimp on the veggies- pack as many vegetables as you can into this and it will taste great. Use vegetables that you would normally find in omelets- onion, mushroom, bell pepper, broccoli, spinach, tomato, etc.. The tofu will suck up the juices of the vegetables as they cook. I season only with salt, pepper, and turmeric (for color). You can skip the oil if you’re eating oil free, just add a little water….

Have you tried daikon radish? It’s very popular in Southeast Asian countries, especially Japan. It is a winter radish with a mild flavor and is quite versatile. Daikon has many health benefits including the following from Organicfacts.net

Improves digestion– It is known to improve digestion as it has similar enzymes found in our digestive tract.

Prevents cancer– Daikon possesses certain antioxidant phenolic compounds that have been shown to reduce various types of cancer, particularly of the stomach.

Boosts immune system– Daikon has a high concentration of vitamin C which stimulates the production of white blood cells and helps speed up the healing and repair of cells and tissues in the body

Vegan burrito bowl. Black beans, rice, corn, diced red onion, salsa, avocado, lime, and cilantro. Easy to make and is a great way to use up leftovers.

I’m going to make this a quick one today. If you’ve made the black bean soup from the last post and happen to have any left that you haven’t devoured, making a vegan burrito bowl is a great way to make it into a different lunch or dinner the next day….

This soup is AMAZING. Repeat… This soup is AMAZING! I was messing about in the kitchen yesterday working on this black bean soup. I actually made two versions of it- one in the instant pot and the other in a regular stock pot. I made each version so I could have a recipe for those that don’t have an instant pot and for those who do. Who’s looking out for ya?? Me, that’s right. The instant pot is so great and this instant pot black bean soup is all the proof you will need. If you don’t have one, put it on your Christmas list… Here’s a link to the model I have–> Instant Pot. Anyway, I was loving the idea of the soup and was going to top it with finely diced red onion, cilantro, and chunks of avocado. Sounds good, right? Well, it is, but I thought- what about taking that avocado, smashing it onto some toasted bread and cutting it into croutons to be floated on top of the soup? Sounds even better, right?!…

Broccoli and cheese soup was definitely one of the soups I missed most since going vegan. Cheese flavor just goes really well with broccoli for some reason. I don’t know who makes these things up, but when it works, I don’t ask questions….

If you haven’t noticed yet, winter squash is one of my most favorite vegetables. I could eat it every day during the winter (I kinda do) and in many different ways. I actually made this red lentil squash stew probably a month ago and I was going through my notebook today and came across some notes scribbled down with ingredients and measurements. I found the photos I took and wondered why I never posted this… hmmm, I need to get more organized! Well, here it is……

Vegan quinoa kale casserole. Another healthy quinoa casserole made with kale, onions, and mushrooms and without any added oils or fats. Great healthy addition to your weekly meal plan.

This is a quick one today as this recipe for vegan quinoa kale casserole is much the same as the last post for the broccoli casserole. I made extra of the vegan cheese sauce, as I normally do, and it reminded me of the lunch that Jen used to make me when I first went vegan. She would make a similar cheese sauce to the one below and she would pour it over sauteed kale, mushrooms, and onions along with a scoop of black beans and cooked quinoa. It’s a very simple lunch, but it was delicious, filling, and healthy….

Vegan quinoa broccoli casserole. Healthy quinoa casserole made in minutes and without any added fats or oils. Make ahead for a busy weekday dinner.

I’ll admit it… a vegan quinoa broccoli casserole is not really the type of food that I dream about at night. But, you know what? Life is stressful and difficult at times and sometimes putting a dinner on the table is not the easiest task. And if you somehow manage to get dinner on the table when your life is super busy, well let’s just say the chances of it being healthy are slim….